Study on the Synergistic Effects of Plant Growth Regulators and Biostimulants on Flowering and Yield of Ridge Gourd (Luffa acutangula L.)

Abstract

The study explored the effects of plant growth regulators and bio stimulants on ridge gourd (Luffa acutangula L.) flowering and yield. Experiment was conducted at the Herbal Garden, College of Agriculture, Raichur, during the late kharif season (2023-24). The experiment was designed using a Randomized Complete Block Design with thirteen treatments and two replications. Among the treatments, a foliar spray of ethrel at 200 ppm combined with humic acid at 20 ml l-1 significantly enhanced various flowering parameters. This treatment resulted in a decrease in the number of male flowers per vine (107.36), while the number of female flowers per vine (27.53) increased. The sex ratio reduced to 3.90 and the fruit set percentage improved to 75.97%. Also, it led to increases in fruit length (35.57 cm), fruit diameter (3.73 cm), fruit weight (0.143 kg), fruit yield per vine (2.78 kg) and fruit yield per hectare (26.77 t). These findings suggest that using ethrel and humic acid together can be a practical strategy for boosting ridge gourd production, which can be beneficial for both sustainable farming practices.